Jankiel Wiernik

[Wetzelrad]

Some of them had likely died by 1939-1941. Others had been sentenced to prison terms that extended to or past 1939. No idea what Warsaw's policies were for early release, "good time," parole, etc., so it's speculative whether they were actually still imprisoned.

Aron Cukier may have served his full sentence from 1936-1943, because according to files at Arolsen he was first sent to a camp in 1944. He went to Auschwitz, then Mauthausen in 1945. He survived and was tracked as a DP until 1949. Contradicting that, he is also listed as a victim on a memorial at Ebensee, which was part of the Mauthausen complex.

[Wetzelrad]

He was a spy. It appears from the first map given by him, he is describing the Malkinia camp; here is the aerial view of that camp compared with Wierniks first map. He of course altered the future maps to align with the morphing of the stories.

Nazgul, do you perhaps have a link (or recall where I might locate) the source for the Malkinia air photo image shown above?

Here is the same comparison with clearer images. Source for Malkinia is Rudolf's Air-Photo Evidence. Nazgul could have a point, with that road going through the camp, but I'm not sure what the origin for this specific diagram is.

[Wetzelrad]

These papers also told the story of Wiernik's arrest. No new details that I can see.

Głos Narodu, August 16, 1935
https://archive.org/details/jbc.bj.uj.e ... _1935_222/

Dzwon Niedzielny August 25, 1935
https://archive.org/details/jbc.bj.uj.e ... 5/page/n7/

These papers report that Jankiel Wiernik was selling hats in Lodz from 1918-1928.
https://archive.org/details/jbc.bj.uj.e ... 97/page/18
https://archive.org/details/jbc.bj.uj.e ... 11/page/41
https://archive.org/details/bc.wbp.lodz ... 2/page/n11

This paper reports that in 1922 Wiernik joined a credit cooperative with a number of people.
https://archive.org/details/jbc.bj.uj.e ... 1a/page/14

Zarząd spółdzielni stanowią: Chaim Goldsztejn, Nusyn Zumer, Łejbko Wąsower, Matel Orensztejn, Chaim Wolman i Moszko Przepiórka. Zastępcami członków zarządu są: leek Rozenbaum, Lejzor Flechtman i Jankiel Wiernik.

[EDIT: Removed remark because I believe I mixed up some names.]

I believe this exhausts everything on archive dot org.

[pilgrimofdark]

Some of them had likely died by 1939-1941. Others had been sentenced to prison terms that extended to or past 1939. No idea what Warsaw's policies were for early release, "good time," parole, etc., so it's speculative whether they were actually still imprisoned.

Aron Cukier may have served his full sentence from 1936-1943, because according to files at Arolsen he was first sent to a camp in 1944. He went to Auschwitz, then Mauthausen in 1945. He survived and was tracked as a DP until 1949. Contradicting that, he is also listed as a victim on a memorial at Ebensee, which was part of the Mauthausen complex.

I went back and looked more carefully at the papers. The people I thought were in their 80s were actually in their 30s. So poor OCR while going through a bunch of files, but correcting as much corruption as I can now.

These papers report that Jankiel Wiernik was selling hats in Lodz from 1918-1928.
https://archive.org/details/jbc.bj.uj.e ... 97/page/18
https://archive.org/details/jbc.bj.uj.e ... 11/page/41
https://archive.org/details/bc.wbp.lodz ... 2/page/n11

This paper reports that in 1922 Wiernik joined a credit cooperative with a number of people.
https://archive.org/details/jbc.bj.uj.e ... 1a/page/14

This is all good.

The only thing we're not finding is evidence he was a carpenter or cabinetmaker. The only mentions of that come from 1943 and later.

There are a few mentions of Wiernik in other contexts earlier. Non-digitized archives.

1913 - banned from Russia?
On the ban on living in four provinces of the country for Adam Bardziński and Jankiel Wiernik, who were found to be members of political organizations in the Petrograd Governorate.
- Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych

1928-1937 - sale of a factory. His hat factory?
Sale of the factory at Nowomiejska Street 2, owner Jankiel Wiernik
- Archiwum Państwowe w Łodzi

[Stubble]

A clarification from the article, Wiernik was using 2 typewriters, Rozenbaum had a printing press in his shoe factory.

It is important to establish Wiernik as the Wiernik in question. This would be easy via a bookings photograph if he was indeed arrested in the sweep.

I have no idea how to get that information.

Going through the Polish Federal Archives with a search for his last name, I didn't turn up arrest records, although, I did turn up stuff linking him to Lodz in the '20's.

I'll try to keep digging with you guys.

I must admit, this is more rewarding than winnowing the mundane looking for missing jews.

Also might be worth trying to establish the connection with his handler prior to the war. This may come through looking at a figure like Rokhl Auerbakh. She arrived in Warsaw in '33 and I am going to guess that the circle she ended up in had overlap.

Looking for a parallel for their clandestine activities, if I were trying to describe what I am beginning to see, I'd think of it kind of like the weather underground. You've got academics, people in the news, all the way down to a simple shoemaker and a humble carpenter, I mean, hat salesman.

[Wetzelrad]

There are a few mentions of Wiernik in other contexts earlier. Non-digitized archives.

1913 - banned from Russia?
On the ban on living in four provinces of the country for Adam Bardziński and Jankiel Wiernik, who were found to be members of political organizations in the Petrograd Governorate.
- Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych

Interesting. This links up with something else I just found. Google hosts a book called The Ghetto Speaks which has contemporary reports on Wiernik. I believe this is volume 2 of a series.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Th ... =en&gbpv=0

From September 1, 1944:

Our delegation in London recently received a new authentic report from the Underground Jewish Labor Movement of Poland, which covers events up to the end of May, 1944.

JANKEL WIERNIK ARTISAN ACTIVE IN BUND'S SELF-DEFENSE ORGANIZATION IN TSARIST RUSSIA WAS ONE YEAR TREBLINKA ESCAPED AFTER REVOLT WROTE BOOK-ONE YEAR IN TREBLINKA-EDITED 1944 BY COORDINATION COMMITTEE JEWISH WORKERS UNION AND JEWISH NATIONAL COMMITTEE STOP

Apparently it took two Jewish committees to edit Wiernik's book. This may explain where the flowery language comes from, if not much more.

Then from October 1, 1944:

The American Representation of the General Jewish Workers' Union of Poland ("Bund") has just received another authentic report from the Underground "Bund" in Poland. This report is dated May 26th, 1944.

On the first anniversary of the Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto, the Coordinating Committee resolved to publish two books; one of them relating the story of the death camp in Tremblinka; the other, on the battle of the Warsaw Ghetto.

The author of the book about the Tremblinka death camp is Jankiel Wiernik. He was held prisoner there for a full year. Together with others, he organized a successful uprising there, set fire to and destroyed the camp, killed the Germans and Ukrainian jailers and escaped with a large group of other Tremblinka victims. I spoke with him personally. He told me that he obtained his elementary schooling in the "Bund" organization during the years 1904 and 1905, and his higher education in the self-defense organization of the 'Bund' in Tzarist Russia. Later he became an artisan and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He did not participate in politics. Enclosed you will find his book on Tremblinka [...]

Interesting upbringing. Wikipedia also agrees he was raised in Russia and a participant in the Bund, which combined with the events of 1913 and 1935 really puts the lie to "He did not participate in politics."

1928-1937 - sale of a factory. His hat factory?
Sale of the factory at Nowomiejska Street 2, owner Jankiel Wiernik
- Archiwum Państwowe w Łodzi

The address does not match the ones given for his residences, shop, or factory, but since he had so many places it's plausible that he had another. He has been described as being in real estate.

Also check this out:

11686/A, "Jankiel Wiernik". Small sale of handicrafts. The company has been in existence since 1919. Łódź, Nowomiejska 19 (Hala), Owner: Jankiel Wiernik, residing in Łódź at ul. Pomorska No. 33.

11667/A. "Aron Wiernik". Small sale of handicrafts. The company has been in existence since January 1, 1927. Łódź, Nowomiejska 19, Owner: Aron Wiernik, residing in Łódź at ul. Kościuszki 13.

Same address for the same business. Aron must have been a relative. Aron Wiernik had a couple other properties too, then the records show he had a new business in Warsaw in 1930-1931.

(Separately, I didn't realize names could take so many different forms in Polish. Having to search for "Wiernik" "Wiernika" "Wierniku" and other variations is a lot of trouble.)

It is important to establish Wiernik as the Wiernik in question.

I agree, but it's already pretty strong circumstantial evidence that there are no contradictions in this timeline. First Russia, then Lodz, then Warsaw. All events within his realistic lifespan. No reference to an alternate Jankiel Wiernik living simultaneously, that I can find.

[pilgrimofdark]

It is important to establish Wiernik as the Wiernik in question. This would be easy via a bookings photograph if he was indeed arrested in the sweep.

I have no idea how to get that information.

Going through the Polish Federal Archives with a search for his last name, I didn't turn up arrest records, although, I did turn up stuff linking him to Lodz in the '20's.

I'll try to keep digging with you guys.

I've tried looking for Warsaw city police archives and Warsaw district court archives. No luck with digitization. I don't know what the options are to send someone to look, but they're probably not cheap.

And that's if he was arrested. One of the articles refers to the Dom Chleba charity organization as """innocent""" in scare quotes. That's where Wiernik had his two typewriters, carbon paper, and was writing communist proclamations. Like the paper was sarcastically referring to the charity being cleared, which might imply Wiernik was let off the hook somehow.

So far, this being the same person and being actually arrested are speculative. The through-line of his continuing presence in Warsaw is strong corroboration of it being the same person at least.

It's also possible "Lodz Jankiel Wiernik" is a different person entirely.

Looking for a parallel for their clandestine activities, if I were trying to describe what I am beginning to see, I'd think of it kind of like the weather underground. You've got academics, people in the news, all the way down to a simple shoemaker and a humble carpenter, I mean, hat salesman.

Searching the Polish archives/libraries for "tajnej drukarni komunistycznej" (secret communist printing house) yields dozens of results from all over the region.

In the "Warsaw 66 Circle" were a few hardcore communists that yield results, but not in any further association with Wiernik.

[pilgrimofdark]

I agree, but it's already pretty strong circumstantial evidence that there are no contradictions in this timeline. First Russia, then Lodz, then Warsaw. All events within his realistic lifespan. No reference to an alternate Jankiel Wiernik living simultaneously, that I can find.

Yad Vashem has an absolute mess of "Jankiel Wiernik" results, but the reliability is suspect.

Someone named Aron Z. Rotenberg of Lodz/New York submitted a testimony page of "Jankiel Wiernik" born in Lodz in 1873. He also submitted 69 total records. And what are the odds he has the same last name as the shoemaker? Rosenberg/Rotenberg/Rottenberga was used in the 1935-1936 papers.

Jankiel Wiernik

However, based on the documents uncovered so far, Wiernik only pops up in one place at a given time. And the most important connections (subversive communist + wartime "death camp" survivor) happen in Warsaw, so there's a correlation of time and place.

[Stubble]

The people on the other side of this already say he didn't write what he in fact wrote because it is damaging.

How do you think they are going to handle this? They are going to say his name was extremely common and that we are talking about dozens of different people. You know this is the play they are going to field.

Best to deny them that out.

[pilgrimofdark]

The Warsaw address books for 1935-1939 list a Jankiel Nusyn Wiernik as a "master carpenter" with an address at Wolynska 23.

1935/1936
1937/1938
1938/1939
1939/1940

edit: by the German 1940 phone directory, he's gone. I don't see a trace of him or his old address/number.

1940 (German)

Some new thoughts:

1. We now have a middle name.
2. Same person, same address from 1935 up to the year Germany occupied Poland.
3. No other listings for a second Jankiel Wiernik in Warsaw in the same period.
4. Pre-war listing of an occupation of carpenter.

How do you think they are going to handle this? They are going to say his name was extremely common and that we are talking about dozens of different people. You know this is the play they are going to field.

Best to deny them that out.

The most important connection is 1935 subversive communist to 1942 in Warsaw.

We seem to have 1935-1939 covered now. The Nazis occupied Poland in September 1939. Wiernik says he was deported to Treblinka in August 1942 and escaped in August 1943, which is doubtful due to his June 1943 ID card showing he was assuming the identity of a Catholic.

We're not sure when he assumed the Jan Smarzynski identity. In an entirely uncited paragraph, Wikipedia says he got the identity after his escape and after he assumed a false identity under the name Kowalczyk.

This article (reprinted from a 1964 original) is the source for this post-escape Kowalczyk identity, but doesn't mention his Smarzynski identity.

History of Jankiel Wiernik, Part I
History of Jankiel Wiernik, Part II

There's no ID card with this Kowalczyk name and his photo that I can find. What we do find is a June 1, 1943 document with his photo and Smarzynski, when he was supposedly in Treblinka.

[Stubble]

The Warsaw address books for 1935-1939 list a Jankiel Nusyn Wiernik as a "master carpenter" with an address at Wolynska 23.

1935/1936
1937/1938
1938/1939
1939/1940

edit: by the German 1940 phone directory, he's gone. I don't see a trace of him or his old address/number.

1940 (German)

Some new thoughts:

1. We now have a middle name.
2. Same person, same address from 1935 up to the year Germany occupied Poland.
3. No other listings for a second Jankiel Wiernik in Warsaw in the same period.
4. Pre-war listing of an occupation of carpenter.

How do you think they are going to handle this? They are going to say his name was extremely common and that we are talking about dozens of different people. You know this is the play they are going to field.

Best to deny them that out.

The most important connection is 1935 subversive communist to 1942 in Warsaw.

We seem to have 1935-1939 covered now. The Nazis occupied Poland in September 1939. Wiernik says he was deported to Treblinka in August 1942 and escaped in August 1943, which is doubtful due to his June 1943 ID card showing he was assuming the identity of a Catholic.

We're not sure when he assumed the Jan Smarzynski identity. In an entirely uncited paragraph, Wikipedia says he got the identity after his escape and after he assumed a false identity under the name Kowalczyk.

This article (reprinted from a 1964 original) is the source for this post-escape Kowalczyk identity, but doesn't mention his Smarzynski identity.

History of Jankiel Wiernik, Part I
History of Jankiel Wiernik, Part II

There's no ID card with this Kowalczyk name and his photo that I can find. What we do find is a June 1, 1943 document with his photo and Smarzynski, when he was supposedly in Treblinka.

How do we put him at Dom Chleba in 1935?

I wouldn't read too much in to the fake documents, as they are fake. The dates are arbitrary.

If they were legit, then we would have something me thinks.

I think I ran across something putting him at Dom Chleba yesterday, I'll check my links. Hopefully I shared that.

Edit: Of course I didn't... trip through my browser history I suppose...

Further Edit: Nope. I didn't find it in my history either. Perhaps I'm wrong and didn't see it yesterday.

[pilgrimofdark]

How do we put him at Dom Chleba in 1935?

These are all newspapers from the August 1935 investigation, all stating Wiernik was writing the communist proclamations on two typewriters at Dom Chleba.

Furthermore, at the Jewish charity institution "Dom Chleba" (Elektoralna 13), two typewriters were found, on which an employee of the "innocent" Dom Chleba, Jankiel Wiernik, wrote proclamations on carbon paper, from which these proclamations were read during the investigation.
Source

Two typewriters were found in the premises of the "Dom Chleba" Charitable Society at 13 Elektoralna Street, apartment 6. Communist proclamations were typed on these machines by a certain Jankel Wiernik.
Source

Two typewriters were found in the premises of the "Dom Chleba" Charitable Society at Elektoralna Street No. 13, apartment 6. Communist proclamations were written on these machines by a certain Jankel Wiernik.
Source

I would read too much in to the fake documents, as they are fake. The dates are arbitrary.

If they were legit, then we would have something me thinks.

We know the names on them are fake. But did he get an authentic document under a fake name? Or were the documents forged entirely from scratch? I don't know if we know that.

[Stubble]

Fair.

Touche

[Wetzelrad]

Someone named Aron Z. Rotenberg of Lodz/New York submitted a testimony page of "Jankiel Wiernik" born in Lodz in 1873. He also submitted 69 total records. And what are the odds he has the same last name as the shoemaker? Rosenberg/Rotenberg/Rottenberga was used in the 1935-1936 papers.

"What are the odds" is a question that occurs to me repeatedly, because there are so many instances of Wierniks and Rozenbergs and Bermans and others who show up in the same documents. It has to be said that many of these are common Jewish names. It would actually be surprising if there isn't a second Jankiel Wiernik.

You would not believe the number of Mordka Rosenbergs there are in the Arolsen Archives. One fits the age of the shoemaker. Listed with 2 unnamed children, no info on who they were or if anyone survived the war.

Aron Rotenberg also submitted a testimony that Aron Wiernik born 1880 was dead.

This 1937/39 Lodz address book has a Aron Rotenberg, Jankiel Wiernik, Aron Wiernik, among others, including a Jakób Wiernik at Jankiel Wiernik's old street address. Probably just another relative.
https://archive.org/details/bc.wbp.lodz ... 41/page/72

Based on the date of this I think we can reasonably infer that Lodz's Jankiel Wiernik was a separate person from the one in Warsaw.

[Stubble]

Some food for thought. According to the mainstream narrative, Wiernik was just an innocent humble carpenter who survived the hell of Treblinka.

After his escape, he is in charge of a terrorist cell and handling and dispensing funds to assets...

That's a quick rise in the ranks for somebody who's credentials are simply surviving a 'death camp'.

If he was involved in subversive activities in 1935 however, and was known to the circles already it makes much more sense.